“Winning the title gives me an opportunity to pursue the things I am passionate about” – Alana

Fresh from being crowned Miss India Worldwide, Alana Seebarran said that her real journey in life has now begun.

The queen is now hoping to vigorously pursue her passion for helping children and being a positive role model, and the crown is just the fillip she needed to do so.

Seebarran Saturday night beat a field of 34 beauties on her way to winning the crown at a gala pageant held in neighbouring Suriname. After winning the coveted title, Seebarran noted that there is so much to do. “Having won the title, it gives me a voice that allows me to pursue the things that I am passionate about, which are helping children, empowering young women and just to be a positive role model,” she said.

The queen explained that in the competition, normally there are about 26 contestants but on Saturday night, there were 35 which, made the competition more intense. She recalled that the first evening of the competition was the talent segment which saw the young ladies performing a three minute presentation. “For me, I did a dance since I have been dancing for the past 10 years.”

Seebarran said that it was a great moment not only for her but the other contestants since it gave them an opportunity to see who they were competing against.

Meanwhile, giving a background regarding the judging aspects of the competition, Seebarran highlighted that the scores from the talent night on Thursday were tabulated and added into the evening and Indian wear competitions on the night of the pageant. Those scores were verified and audited, and the final 10 were announced. “After the final 10 were announced, we had to perform our talent pieces for the second time and the scores were used to select the final five.”

After the final five were announced, she noted they quickly rushed to the dressing room and slipped into their Indian wear in preparation for the intelligence segment. The final question she noted was; “What words of encouragement would you give to the young women out there?”

In responding to the question, she said “Human beings have strengths and weaknesses and it is very important to recognise both; If you can imagine something then you can become it and if you can dream something you can achieve it,” and as such, encouraged the young women to go after their dreams and never doubt their potential.

Positive, outgoing

When asked to describe herself, the queen said that she is always positive, has an outgoing personality and is tremendously supported by her family and friends. Whilst she noted growing up with three brothers was challenging, she said she coped well and has gained their love and affection.

She also advised budding beauty queens to be humble, noting that her simplicity had captured the hearts of the Surinamese. The queen thanked her major sponsor, the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation Inc for its sterling support.

Seebarran was also grateful for the support she received from Guyanese living in Suriname and those who travelled to Paramaribo. “It made me feel loved and special and when I got out on that stage it made me shine even more. I was away from home but they made me feel as though I was at home,” the charming young lady said.

She added that there are not enough words to describe her feelings on the night of the pageant. “I was hoping that it was me and I would hear my country’s name being called. But at the same time, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I was just standing there and the anticipation was really building but it definitely was worth it,” Seebarran noted.

When she was declared the winner of the pageant, the gorgeous, intelligent and talented young lady said it took her a while for the good news to sink in. The audience she noted went in an uproar. “The real moment for me was when I said ‘wow’ this is it – I am the Miss India Worldwide 2012. I looked over to the left where the majority of the noise was coming from and I saw our national flag up in the air and my Guyanese people just screaming and cheering for me. Everybody was so excited, it wasn’t only a moment for me but for the entire country,” she reiterated.